Department of Criminology and Criminalistics

Olsztyn forensic technicians were invited to the Criminology and Forensic Science Laboratory operating within the Department of Criminology and Forensic Science at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn to test the capabilities of a modern 3D scanner. The visit to the university represents another step in the developing cooperation between Police officers and the academic community. This is yet another meeting within the framework of this collaboration — a week earlier, the Head of the Forensic Technology Division of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Olsztyn, Sub-commissioner Tobiasz Wiśniewski, conducted classes for students belonging to the Forensic Science Student Research Group “Na Tropie.” This time, the team from the Forensic Technology Division of the Olsztyn Municipal Police Headquarters took part in demonstration workshops. During the meeting, the officers had the opportunity to explore the possibilities of using a 3D scanner for three-dimensional reconstruction of a crime scene. The device enables the creation of an almost perfect spatial model of the location where the examination is conducted. On such a model, forensic technicians and investigators can add information and visualizations related to the recovered forensic traces — including body position, bloodstains, the arrangement of objects, and footwear or fingerprint impressions. New tools, along with cooperation between academic and police communities, pave the way for developing modern methods of crime scene work, increasing the effectiveness of evidence preservation and interpretation. A post with information about the event has been published on the website of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Olsztyn.

The Head of the Forensic Technology Division of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Olsztyn, Sub-commissioner Tobiasz Wiśniewski, visited a meeting of the Forensic Science Student Research Group “Na Tropie”, created by students of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn. The meeting was dedicated to issues related to conducting crime-scene examinations. The students had the opportunity—under controlled conditions—to observe and practically test what activities are carried out during a crime-scene inspection. Participants learned how extensive knowledge, manual precision, and experience are essential to properly reveal and secure traces left by a perpetrator. Sub-commissioner Tobiasz Wiśniewski shared his many years of experience and presented the practical aspects of the work of a forensic technician. A post about the event has been published on the website of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Olsztyn (in Polish)

We warmly invite all interested individuals to the next meeting of the Forensic Science Student Research Club “Na tropie”, which will take place on 26 November 2025 (Wednesday) at 4:45 PM in room D2.01. The guest of the meeting will be our former student and long-time President of the Forensic Science Research Club (!), Sub-commissioner Tobiasz Wiśniewski, head of the Forensic Technology Section of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Olsztyn. Topic of the meeting: Organization and tactics of crime-scene examination in rape-related cases.

 An interview with Dr. habil. Piotr Chlebowicz, professor at UWM, has been published on the University’s website, titled “Acts of sabotage are a new level of aggression in hybrid warfare.” An excerpt from the interview: “The acts of sabotage that have occurred in Poland in recent days prove that classical intelligence activities — based on gathering information — are transforming into hybrid actions. Prof. Piotr Chlebowicz from the Faculty of Law and Administration of UWM, author of the innovative scholarly book ‘Espionage. A Criminological Study’, discusses the thin line between espionage and terrorism.”  

As part of the Training and Integration Days of ELSA Olsztyn #OlsztyńskiCHILL, members of the student Forensic Science Research Club “Na tropie” Julia Liszewska and Kacper Miler (Law, stationary, 4th year) delivered a lecture on one of the most famous early 20th-century criminal cases from this region – the murder of Major Schönebeck. The case was being analyzed in the context of the possibilities offered by modern forensic science, current knowledge in the field of forensic psychology, and criminalistic tactics. Students considered what might have happened in this case if… The lecture tooke place on 13 November 2025 at 5:30 PM in the Citrus Hall of the Conference Center

We cordially invite you to a special lecture featuring Mr. Tomasz Godzina, retired aspirant of the Fire Service, an experienced technical diving instructor, and a specialist in underwater rescue and search operations. Mr. Godzina will share his extensive experience in underwater search missions for bodies, objects, and missing persons. During his talk, he will also discuss the tasks of the Fire Service in cooperation with the Police and the coordination of rescue services at the scene of body recovery from water. The lecturer has been training GROM special forces soldiers, police officers, and firefighters for many years and has participated in diving teams that have set world records in technical diving. Date: November 12, 2025 Time: 4:45 PM Venue: Blue Auditorium (Aula Błękitna). The lecture will last approximately 45 minutes. Organizer and moderator: Dr. Aleksandra Nowak

On November 5, 2025, the Student Expo 2025 took place, during which two student research societies affiliated with our Department presented their stands — the Forensic Science Research Society “Na Tropie” (academic supervisor Dr habil. Denis Solodov) and the Student Research Society of Suicidology (academic supervisor Dr Andrzej Gawliński). During the event, students showcased their research activities, ongoing projects, and initiatives promoting knowledge in the fields of forensic science and suicidology. Participants had the opportunity to learn more about the clubs’ work, their achievements, and the possibilities for collaboration and academic development. Photo and video coverage from the event is available on the Facebook pages of both entities: Forensic Science Research Club “Na Tropie” and Student Research Club of Suicidology

Dr habil. Denis Solodov was invited to take part in an interview on the state television channel TVP3 Olsztyn, broadcast in the programme Punkt Widzenia. During the interview, Denis Solodov discussed 3D technologies in forensic sciences and recent developments in improving interviewing practices in Poland, with particular reference to the Mendez Principles. He outlined the advantages of rapport-based interviewing models, addressed the progress achieved by the Polish team within the Implemendez COST Action, including ongoing efforts to adapt and disseminate these international standards in the Polish context. The full interview is available on the TVP3 Olsztyn website (in Polish)On the Implemendez COST Action official website

We warmly invite you to the first meeting of the Student Research Group of Forensic Science “Na tropie” in the current academic year! The meeting will take place on Wednesday, 5 November 2025, at 3:00 PM, in room A1.03. Earlier, starting from 11:00 AM, you will be able to visit our information stand at StudentExpo 2025 in the University Library. We cordially invite students of all majors who are interested in forensic science to join us! More information about the Group can be found here

On July 3–4, 2025, representatives of the Department of Criminology and Criminalistics participated in the international scientific conference 37th Baltic Criminological Seminar, titled “Simplification of Justice: Prospects for Criminology.”The event was organized by the Lithuanian Association of Criminologists and Vilnius University. The seminar gathered criminologists and legal scholars from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Kazakhstan, fostering broad international discussion on contemporary criminological challenges and the modernization of justice systems.Researchers from the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn presented the following papers:Dr. Maciej Duda, Prof. Dr. habil. Wiesław Pływaczewski, Dr. Joanna Narodowska – The Phenomenon of Missing Persons. Results of Criminological ResearchDr. habil. Piotr Chlebowicz, Prof. UWM – Criminological Picture of the Crime of Espionage in PolandDr. habil. Kamil Frąckowiak, Prof. UWM – Legal Basis for the Use of Firearms by a State Officer at the Border of the Republic of PolandThe seminar provided an excellent platform for scientific exchange and regional cooperation, enabling participants to share insights, compare national approaches, and strengthen academic networks among criminological institutions across the Baltic region.